James Gunn, one of the new bosses of DC Studios, has dismissed Henry Cavill's claims that he was dropped from his role as "Superman," saying that the actor was never fired, just simply not hired.
"We didn't fire Henry," the director-turned-label-chief, told reporters Tuesday, according to BBC. "Henry was never cast."
Cavill told The Hollywood Reporter in October that he was looking forward to playing an "enormously joyful" Superman and that he was "very excited" about Gunn being hired.
But in December, Cavill shared the "sad news" that he will not be reprising his role as the cape-wearing superhero. The actor had played Superman since the 2013 film "Man of Steel."
"I will, after all, not be returning as Superman," Cavill wrote on Instagram. "After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn't the easiest, but that's life.
"The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that. James and Peter have a universe to build. I wish them and all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and the happiest of fortunes."
Commenting on the decision not to cast Cavill, Gunn said on Tuesday that it was not personal.
"For me, it's about who do I want to cast as Superman, and who do the filmmakers we have want to cast? And for me, for this story, it isn't Henry," he said.
"I like Henry; I think he's a great guy," Gunn added. "I think he's getting [messed] around by a lot of people, including the former regime at this company. But this Superman is not Henry, for a number of reasons."
Gunn's new film, set for release in July 2025, will focus on the younger years of Superman when he was posing as reporter Clark Kent. Gunn announced the news in a recent tweet saying he and Peter Safran were "over the moon" about several new projects.
"Among those on the slate is Superman," Gunn wrote. "In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman's life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill. But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we're big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future."